Rocky Johnson Field
In 2001, Texas Tech opened
a new on-campus softball complex, Rocky Johnson
Field. Plans included 1,800 seats for spectators
and the "Spanish Renaissance" architecture style
used in other facilities on the campus.
In January of 2001, Texas
Tech Softball Coach Bobby Reeves said he looked
forward to the opening of the new facility, which
he said would strengthen the team's morale.
"It's a great place," Reeves said. "A place to
call home and be proud of."
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
The article below was published
in the
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal on Thursday,
March 29, 2001
© 2001 - The Lubbock
Avalanche-Journal
Tech softball opening new home
By DAREN TOMHAVE
Avalanche-Journal
Now that the Texas Tech softball
team has finally found a permanent home, Eva Harshman
can't wait to start defending it.
Harshman's wait is over.
The Red Raiders open the
home portion of their Big 12 Conference schedule
today, hosting Texas A&M in a 1 p.m. doubleheader
at newly constructed Rocky Johnson Field. The
facility is located at the corner of 10th and
Indiana avenues behind the University Medical
Center, and is a welcomed change from the Raiders'
old home at the Texas Tech Recreational Intramural
Fields.
''We're really excited to
be opening the new stadium,'' said Harshman, Tech's
junior left-fielder. ''Everybody's been waiting
for this forever. It's against A&M a
rival and it doesn't get any bigger than
that.''
Though it's coming off a
pair of losses to sixth-ranked Oklahoma, Texas
A&M (23-8 overall, 0-2 Big 12) maintained
its No. 20 ranking in the most recent National
Fastpitch Coaches Association poll. What's more,
the Aggies have traditionally fared well in Lubbock,
winning three of the four games played at Tech
since the Red Raiders revived the program in 1996.
Tech (22-12, 1-1), meanwhile,
is coming off a weekend split at Oklahoma State
to open Big 12 play. The Raiders are also making
a name for themselves in the NFCA rankings, garnering
10 votes this week.
''Personally, I don't ever
think of A&M being ranked,'' Harshman said.
''I think of A&M as being A&M, and that's
what's going to mean most. They're our rival,
and we've got to come in and defend our home.''
Last weekend in Stillwater,
Okla., the Raiders won the first game 1-0 in nine
innings and took a 2-1 lead after three innings
in the nightcap. The Cowgirls responded with a
pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth to pull
out a 3-2 victory, salvaging a series split.
According to Harshman, the
series provided the Raiders a glimpse of what
the season has in store for them.
''We played tough ball,''
she said. ''We played nine innings in the first
game of hard ball. Whenever it's a low-scoring
game, that's when you know you're playing ball.
I think we both came out and played well, and
I think that was the trend-setter for how every
Big 12 game is going to be.''
So, with today's doubleheader
looking more and more like a potential nailbiter,
Tech is looking forward to reaping the rewards
of whatever home-field advantage it can muster
from Rocky Johnson Field. The facility is not
yet fully completed, with the bleachers and press
box still works in progress, but it does provide
Tech with something it has never had: A field
it can call its own.
''It's just great to have
our own field,'' said Andrea Joachims, Tech's
freshman third baseman. ''We can call a place
our home this year and for the next three years
after that.''
Fans attending today's doubleheader
are asked to park their cars in the parking lot
north of the field, between the facility and the
UMC. Also, because the facility has not added
bleachers yet, fans may want to bring lawn chairs
or blankets. Admission is free.
Daren Tomhave can be contacted
at 766-8756 or dtomhave@lubbockonline.com
|
